The “tyranny” of the 15-minute visit

“This felt more like a tea party than a doctor’s appointment,” a patient observed as we wrapped up our first clinic visit.

“My observations about the value of time in primary care visits are supported by studies. Thomas Bodenheimer, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and a national expert on primary-health-care policy, has long railed against the “tyranny” of the 15-minute visit:

“The shorter the time, the worse the quality of care, the worse the patient satisfaction, the worse the physician satisfaction.”